


Reading "Don't Let Him Go"

by yourlibrarian



Series: Reading Fan Vids [15]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Commentary, Fanvids, Gen, Meta, Season/Series 06, Soulless Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 11:59:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6905341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourlibrarian/pseuds/yourlibrarian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A look back at a time when Soulless Sam and the Winchester bond were particularly angsty things, and how this situation was an inversion of the brothers' relationship in S4.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reading "Don't Let Him Go"

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Don't Let Him Go](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/198784) by Maichan. 



This vid which was made and posted in November of 2010, came at a time when the Winchester bond was threatened in a way it hadn't been before. Although the S4 episode "When the Levee Breaks" had made it clear that the most damaging thing to that relationship would be whether or not the two were actually brothers at all, in some ways the appearance of Soulless Sam presented that same threat in a different way.

Even though Sam came back to Dean as part of a Campbell crew -- which should have made that blood bond tighter than ever -- S6 Sam was a reversal of S4 Sam. At the end of that season, Dean was ready to let go because he felt Sam was _physically_ not his brother. It was the flesh and blood that was the issue, since obviously the two had been raised as brothers, shared experiences as brothers, and in fact related to one another almost exclusively as brothers (rather than, say, fellow hunters). Their mental and emotional bonds were that of brothers.

However in S6, it is Sam's flesh and blood that has been resurrected, complete with memories. But it is Sam's essence, and his emotions, that have been left behind. The show never got very specific with the details, or explored the whole concept of what makes a person an individual. But the change was reflected, not just in the way Sam behaved with others, but in the way he valued Dean, and saw his own place in the world. 

For the fandom, this was a challenge to the brotherly bond that was quite unlike what had come before. But the vid encapsulates both the storyline and the general fandom reaction to this development, and does it with a lot of skill.

### Circular Tales

To begin with, I really like how circular this vid is. We start from the POV of Dean lying on the floor, and see his world rotate -- and at the end we see Dean on the floor again, shifting from death to life (kind of an apt metaphor for vampirism too), only Sam's there to help him up this time. When the show used that initial camera angle to re-introduce Sam it seemed really fitting. Dean's world had been turned upside down by Sam's loss, and now it seemed that things were being set to rights with his return. It also placed us very squarely in Dean's POV, as well as metaphorically representing what was his head spinning at this desperately hoped for, yet equally unbelievable development.

And it was clear why we needed to be in Dean's POV, because the early part of S6 was all about deciphering the mystery that was this returned Sam -- not only the fact of his return (and that of Grandpa Campbell), but the changes in this new Sam. At the very end of the video, where we see Dean restored to life, Maichan uses the symbolism of the show's only image of Dean in hell. I thought this was a brilliant idea, because it brought a great deal of backstory to that ending. Not only had Dean himself gone to hell and returned, but he too had returned as a different person in some ways. And ultimately for him, being separated from Sam was a hell in itself.

These images tie into a larger argument that Sam and Dean are always there for one another, as each cycles out of bad to better (since good isn't always an option!) Besides the fact that the brothers are continually being challenged throughout the series to not let one another go, I think this vid makes a great visual argument of what Bobby told Dean back in 4.22. I feel this point gets stressed when the "Lucifer Rising" clip is the last one shown before Dean "comes back" to the present.

### The Significance of Physicality

The beginning lyrical matches in the vid set us up pretty well as an argument directed at Dean _about_ Sam. For example, even though the shots of him driving women wild and being hot are as much fan bait here as they were when aired in the episode, they serve a purpose. They don't just illustrate the lyrics, they also illustrate the changes in Sam that, especially if Dean were witnessing them, he would definitely find "off." I also like the fact that this emphasis on Sam's physicality goes back to the issue of _what_ was really brought back -- Sam's body.

This issue appears later in the vid as well. The segue to the whole flashback/retrospective section was clever in general, as the scene moves from living to dead Sam, and then at the very end of the vid, with dead Dean back to living Dean. But I also liked that section because it's a reminder that the living body of Sam is only that -- it's actually the, what, fourth time that Sam has been reanimated? But in truth, Sam is just as dead as he was that first time, because the guy that Dean had "all figured out" and who was "sweet talking" and could "melt your heart" is NOT here, no matter what it looks like.

I like the fact that these scenes are followed by shots of Dean looking doubting, distressed, and suspicious. He knows instinctively that something's not right, but Dean is the king of denial.

### Rushing Togetherness

Speaking of Dean's sense of denial, the reason he's secretive is partly because he doesn't want to accept a difficult truth, or deal with his feelings about it. So the fact that Dean wants to have his relationship with Sam pick up right where it left off is par for the course.

The fact that Maichan put that first "take it easy, take it slow" at 00:54, when we see Dean refusing to leave with Sam in the first episode of S6, is a perfect visual example of the song's advice -- ease back into the relationship. At that point Dean's not fully aware that things are not right with Sam, he's still trying to take everything in. But in the very next episode, there they both are driving off in the Impala as we hear "how can you wait anymore." In fact, they did both rush back into things, as if being together on the road again was somehow a solution to setting all their issues in order. 

Of course, you can forgive them for thinking this since it's been their practice in the past, particularly in S1, when they'd also been apart for a considerable period of time. Yet, if we think about it, it's not like everything fell neatly into place then either, and it didn't even have anything to do with hell or missing souls at the time!

The "wondering what you're waiting for" at 1:14 is kind of a perfect clip, as it highlights how the POV in the vid isn't just Dean's, or even Sam and Dean's, but that of the audience. The fans are the ones essentially telling Dean and Sam not to let one another go. In that clip it's the _audience_ that's really wondering what Sam is waiting for when it came to saving Dean from the vamp, because we're aware he's there even though Dean isn't. Yet when we hear the "I don't know" with Dean looking at Sam at 01:17, it takes us right back into Dean's POV, even though in the song it's the line that most clearly indicates that it's advice to a listener. 

It's the change of POV in that section that makes the audience complicit with Dean's own desire to rush that sense of togetherness with Sam. We want things to return to normal between the two, even as we're starting to get the feeling that it may not be a great idea. The "just give him a chance to grow" line at 1:23 is a particularly poignant one because it mirrors what Dean later feels, which is that he may be able to guide Sam along the right path even if he's lacking his own moral compass.

The second appearance of the "take it easy, take it slow" at 1:30 comes at a scene that made me cringe when I first saw it. Even with the sound effects still in it, the vid managed to temper my original reaction. By contrasting this clip with the clip that was shown the _first_ time we heard this line, it actually makes the comparison rather humorous. I mean, Dean is not known for taking anything easy or slow and his loss of temper here is a good example.

### Editing Choices

All through the video, the way that Maichan has put together the story dovetails beautifully with the lyrics. There are a number of great editing choices, but also particular effects that were used to pull references together of other time periods in the series.

For example, my very favorite transition of the whole vid is at 2:01 where a shouting Dean merges into a shouting Sam. Those clips come from scenes when each has lost the other and is on the verge of losing himself as well. Maichan also utilizes the "time rewinding" bit that was used by the canon in "Twihard", and puts it to a whole different use in the final moments of the vid.

The flashback section assembles a series of key brotherly moments throughout the series, which not only connects with the lyrics but also takes us out of the tight focus on S6 to set the latest events within the timeline of their overall story. In each there were times when they were apart or in opposite camps, and times when each wanted to give up on the other. Yet all these scenes are then rebalanced with those moments when they overcame those separations or arguments to come together again. I particularly like that Dean's amulet makes an appearance here. Not only is it a strong symbol of their relationship, but we also see the moment when Dean has given up before, as he drops the amulet in the trash. Yet as we've discovered in S11, Sam never gave up, and just as many fans speculated, he did recover the amulet, which has been with him all along. All these seasons on, they're still not letting go.


End file.
